If there ever was an excuse to go all out, Queen’s Plate is it. Throughout the day we saw some truly outrageous hats, beautiful frocks, and so much more. It was quite an experience, and totally made me want to step up my hat game for the next year’s event. Go big or go home is going to be my mantra.

And don’t forget, as I mentioned in my original Queen’s Plate post, if you find yourself at the Woodbine Racetrack this summer, make sure to Tweet your trackside selfie using hashtag #OffToTheRaces to be entered to win a $1000 gift card!

So if you need some inspiration for your own visit to the races, check out the looks below and let me know which one is your fave in the comments!

Though it certainly doesn’t feel like it, May is here, and with it – Mother’s Day! If you still haven’t figured out what to buy for your mom, as usual, we have some ideas to help you in your search. From a personalized leather tote, to a fancy perfume, to a bottle of delicious bubbly, to a pair of comfy pajamas, there’s something for every mom (and every budget) on our list.

What will you be picking up for your mom this year? Share in the comments!

Toronto beauty junkies, rejoice! Lorinda Zimmerman (aka Magic Laser Lady aka Lainey Gossip’s Skin Whisperer aka all-around-amazing woman) has finally opened the highly-anticipated Toronto outpost of W SkinCare. I have written about Lorinda’s service before, and having experienced great results after a couple of sporadic treatments, I was ecstatic to finally be able to do a round of treatments as they were intended.

The new clinic, located in Toronto’s King West district is spacious and welcoming. Adorned with Pacific Northwest art, you could almost confuse it for an art gallery, if it wasn’t for the fancy laser machines inside treatment rooms and beauty products lining the shelves in the lobby. As for Lorinda, she was beaming with pride at the launch party, and she’s even made a temporary move to Toronto to make sure that things run smoothly and clients receive the same level of service they’d expect from the Vancouver location.

As I approach the big 3-0, I couldn’t be happier to have a W SkinCare office nearby. It gives me a peace of mind. With Lorinda’s non-invasive, but oh-so-effective laser treatments, I intend to finally give my face the TLC it deserves.

Last Tuesday, instead of heading home after a long day at the office, I rushed to the Evergreen Brickworks, to attend Lainey Gossip’s8th annual SMUT Soiree. Knowing that the event would be full of amazing experiences and juicy gossip, even the promise of thunderstorms couldn’t stop me.

I arrived to a jam-packed venue, with over 1000 people enjoying free drinks, manis, hair touch-ups, Cinderella-like shoe fittings from ALDO, and more. And with $1000 FLARE x H&M “style award” prize on the line, the attendees really brought their A-game. I haven’t seen a crowd this stylish in a long time!

After hanging out with my blogger besties Sharon and Gracie, we took our seats for a gossip sesh full of blind item reveals and juicy tidbits that only the industry insiders would normally be privy to. It felt like a HUGE slumber party with your best friends…well…if you have 1000 girlfriends that is. Lainey, who will be moving to Toronto this summer, also introduced her future The Social co-hosts Melissa Grelo, Cynthia Loyst, and Traci Melchor, who gave the audience a taste of what their new daytime show would feel like – and it was pretty fun…and smutty! Cynthia shared a personal blind item…and I’m fairly sure it was about Emilio Estevez…EMILIOOO! Well…at least I think it was.

With each year, the SMUT Soiree just keeps on getting bigger and better…and I wouldn’t be surprised if sometime soon it might have to be held at a large concert venue (ACC SMUT?). I guess I’m not the only gossip lover in town?

So tell me, have you ever attended Lainey’s SMUT Soiree? Do you like celeb gossip? Share in the comments.

You see that photo above? Those grey stripes…That’s the dirt extracted from my skin. Pretty gross, huh? Back in March, one of my favouritest bloggers ever – Lainey Lui Gossip invited me to try Lorinda Zimmerman’s grounbreaking “double-dose” skin treatments – cold light and microdermabrasion. Beloved by Hollywood starlets and regular folks alike, Lorinda’s near-magical technique not only promises to help skin look more youthful and radiant, but it’s also non-invasive. No injections/surgeries required!

After reading about Lainey’s positive results (her pores are basically non-existent!), I was stoked to see what the hype is all about. My treatment began with a round of microdermabrasion – an intense exfoliation process, which felt a little unpleasant, but not at all painful nor super uncomfortable. The treatment is most effective in treating “sun damage, age spots, superficial pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles, enlarged or oily pores, blackheads, whiteheads and acne scars”. As someone with a ton of freckles…aka sun damage on my cheeks, I was curious to see if this treatment could help me lighten those pesky under-eye spots. And while my spots didn’t go away completely after my first microdermabrasion (that would’ve been a miracle!), they were a little less noticeable.

Here’s what I wore to Lainey Gossip’sSMUT on Monday! My brand new Topshop skirt in one of my fave colors ever – mustard, a cheapie printed shirt via Forever21, some fun beaded bracelets from H&M, and of course, my favorite Pierre Hardy heels from The Room. I am in serious love with the skirt, and have a feeling that I’ll be wearing it all summer long. Oh yes, I will.

Having said that, as I mentioned, the four most stylish gossipettes are competing to win the big $2K prize from The Bay, and if you have a few minutes, you should totally vote for your favorite! One of the candidates is already featured on Style Blog, and she definitely has my vote. Who will you be voting for?

Last night, I finally got to attend my very first SMUT Soiree! Hosted by The Society, this Lainey Gossip bash is now in its 6th year, and from what I’ve heard (and seen), it’s bigger and better than ever. The bright and spacious Evergreen Brickworks, was full of stylish attendees, ready to party, gossip, and strut their stuff for the $2000 Style Award, sponsored by The Bay.

It truly was one of the best parties I’ve attended in a long while. Free-flowing booze (courtesy of Absolut, and Caramilk Cream Liquor), candy galore (courtesy of Maynards), John Frieda and Rimmel beautyfication stations, and of course hours of gossipy girl talk? YES, PLEASE!

Once Lainey, Sasha, Duana, and Sarah took the stage, stories of celeb encounters, indiscretions, and blind riddle solutions were revealed. And as the night went on, the audience got bolder, and asked more and more questions. My favorite story of the night was hands down the Aniston Lamp Encounter. That story alone would’ve been worth a ticket price…though in my mind, it was priceless. There was also a confirmation of what I long wanted to ignore, and that is that Paul Rudd is not as nice as he seems, which…Thanks, Lainey, for shattering those rose-colored glasses. Thanks, a lot!

To those of you that regard gossip with disdain, to you I say…attend next year’s SMUT Soiree, and you will change your mind. Seriously. It’s like a huge slumber party, sans pajamas and pillow fights. And mostly without fights at all. Because after reading Lainey Gossip for years (Lainey has THE best inside info on celebs ever), I was half-expecting some Twihard/Belieber to crash this bash with some idiotic nonsensical insults. No such luck. Maybe next year.

Since, I knew that there was a huge prize at stake, I also assumed that I could count on some great street style, and if only my camera didn’t croak on me right before the event, I would’ve brought you so many more great looks. Because there were so many! Alas, here are some of the lovely ladies (and a lad) that caught my eye last night.

Huge thanks to Lainey, Sasha, and The Society for throwing this amazing party! I think I’m hooked for life!

When People crowned Johnny Depp as the Sexiest Man Alive (2009), thousands of Twi-hards lost their shit wings…and also sent out their anger in shape of hate-mail to the likes of Lainey Gossip. Did you read her article? Did you read those emails? So much ignorance and hate! And Lainey says that those women are not in their teens…no, those are grown freaking women! For some of those, getting a life might be a tad too late, but seeking help of mental professionals would be just fitting.

On to Johnny. If anyone deserves this title unconditionally, irrevocably, impenetrably, heterogeneously, gynecologically, and disreputably, it’s Johnny Depp. Who else can make a weird eye-lined pirate sexy as hell? Who else oozes sexiness even when he looks grungy and unkempt? Sexiest Man Alive? Johnny Depp! And though a part of me was hoping that Colin Firth would take the title this year, I am perfectly happy with their choice. Thank you, People Mag! Thank you for not giving it to Pattinson!

WHAT I WORE

WHO IS NELIA?

Nelia Belkova is a Toronto-based fashion and lifestyle blogger by night and a financial analyst by day. She loves to travel, read gossip sites, eat sweets, and cuddle up to her husband and her cat on the couch. Read More…